Addressing the Friends of Ort summer lunch, MP Louise Mensch said she had done her homework.

She admitted to the 115 guests that, prior to her invitation, she had not appreciated “what an amazing organisation Ort was. I didn’t have any idea how large it was or the huge amount of people it’s helped over the years.”

Activities such as training single mothers to use computers to help them in the job market and providing education for children who had lost their parents represented “about as good a charitable aim as it’s possible to find”.

Ms Mensch also confided to the predominantly female audience: “I hope this isn’t a giant ‘overshare’ but one of the things I’ve always loved about Jewish men — being married to one — is that they’re not afraid of a strong woman. They value and appreciate intelligence and strength in a woman and don’t try to make you feel ashamed or embarrassed for having a strong personality and opinion.”

The lunch was hosted by long-time British Ort supporter Lady Rosa Lipworth and raised £25,000.